


you shake the bones in my knees, you are the words in my mouth

by fake_your_death



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Christmas, Engagement, Excessive use of petnames, Halloween Costumes, Happy Ending, M/M, No Angst, Soft Eddie Kaspbrak, Soft Richie Tozier, growing up together and being in love, soft, the others are only mentioned but stan does speak once in a later chapter!, this is soft and gay and very indulgent of me i think
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:48:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27109006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fake_your_death/pseuds/fake_your_death
Summary: richie and eddie and petnames through the years
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. eddie spaghetti

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! i wrote this entire thing by hand because of cardboard box in my room (that will be explained later!) i only intended to write the idea down so that i would not forget it but here we are!! it's almost completed, i just have to finish the last chapter and add a bit to another but i decided to go ahead and start posting now because i'm so excited!! i hope that y'all enjoy! 
> 
> title from: unconditional / hoax (please listen to this song, i thought it fit this au's reddie so so well!!!) 
> 
> oh! also, in this chapter, richie is 16 and eddie is 15, one month from his 16th birthday!!

“eddie.” 

a thump sounded as a balled up strip of paper hit the desk by eddie’s hand and then quiet. 

“eds.” 

another strip of balled up paper thumped against the desk before bouncing off of the laminated wood to join the quickly growing pile floor next to eddie’s backpack. More quiet only disrupted by the tapping of keys. 

“hey eddie k.” 

a third paper sailed through the air, hitting its target - the slowly flushing back of edward kaspbrack’s neck - before falling to the floor with the others. this time it was followed by a frustrated but unmistakably fond sigh and richie tozier’s triumphant cheer at having finally hit his mark after so many tries. 

then more quiet as eddie continued to type out his english report that was due at the end of the week. behind him, reclined on eddie’s bed like he owned it, richie grabbed a fresh sheet of notebook paper, tearing away a strip that he then rolled into a ball. he pushed his glasses up from where they had slipped down to the tip of his nose, watching as eddie rolled his shoulders, stretching and shaking out his arms and hands before going back to typing. 

richie grinned to himself, his own hands shaking by themselves and butterflies in his stomach, in his throat, as he threw the paper again. 

“eddie spaghetti.” 

the paper ball thunked against the laptop screen and fell to the keys, ignored as eddie spun around in his desk chair to give richie an annoyed glare. 

“no richie, absolutely not.” eddie stated, causing richie’s grin to grow wide as he flipped himself off of the bed and onto the plush carpeted floor. 

“oh come on, spaghetti head,” richie cooed, moving forward and letting his cheeks rest against eddie’s legs as he settled his head into his lap. “you know you love it.” 

eddie rolled his eyes, his hand automatically coming up to brush through richie’s untamable hair. “mmhmm.” he hummed, both skeptical and agreeing, letting richie’s warm weight against his legs sooth his almost constant nerves. 

the two boys let the room fall quiet once again, the only sound audible being their own synced breathing as they relaxed against one another. time passed in a haze, it could have been minutes or hours before richie slowly opened his eyes and tilted his face up to eddie’s. the younger boy had his head tipped back against the desk chair, his eyes closed, his long lashes fanning out and casting shadows on his cheeks from the late afternoon sun shining through the open blinds. his hands were still brushing through richie’s hair, his fingers looping and tangling around his curls, gently tugging to free himself before doing it all over again. 

richie felt his heart thump in his chest, positive that eddie could feel it too where his chest was still pressed against his shins. he swallowed nervously, excitedly, as he sat up, placing his hands against eddie’s knees, fingers tapping out unknown messages against his warm skin. 

eddie lifted his own head at the movement, his eyes opening and his dark brows furrowing just the slightest bit in a silent question. 

richie smiled, folding his arms over eddies’ knees and letting his chin drop down to rest on them, his eyes still locked with eddie’s. 

“hey eds?” he whispered, voice rougher than he was expecting, a thread of his nerves just peaking through. 

“yeah rich?” eddie’s voice was just as quiet, like he was afraid of speaking too loud and shattering the stillness that had surrounded the two of them. 

richie swallowed. “do you maybe want to go out sometime? y’know, like to dinner or something? together? as a date? between me and you? us?” richie managed to keep his voice from cracking as he finally asked the question, well questions, that has been sitting on the tip of his tongue for as long as he could remember. 

he realized that he’d shifted his eyes down, staring straight ahead at eddie’s faded red shirt that he was pretty sure was actually his but knew for a fact that it looked better on eddie anyway. he forced himself to look upwards into eddie’s stunned eyes. 

the other boy’s face was an open book, surprise and nervousness and what richie knew was happiness, writ across his features, making richie’s butterflies feel like they had been caught up in a tornado. 

“yeah rich, yes.” eddie’s voice was soft and sweet as he let his hands fall from richie’s hair to his cheeks, cupping them gently in both palms. 

“us.”


	2. pumpkin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 2!! i couldn't wait to post it, so here it is at 4 in the morning right before i go to bed lol!! 
> 
> in this chapter, both richie and eddie are 17!! and the grocery store is absolutely based off of my local one that i absolutely refuse to get a job at!

eddie sighed, eyes briefly scanning over the messily written shopping list that bill had shoved into his hands when he’d asked him if he’d needed anything from the store for that night. he’d only asked out of politeness, figuring that the older boy had already purchased everything that he needed for the halloween party that he’d been planning for months in advance. leave it to eddie’s best friends to order and buy every type of vaguely halloween inspired decoration or related thing throughout a period of an entire year but completely forget about buying enough refreshments for the hundred something people that they were expecting to show up at said party. that night. 

eddie shook his head, his bangs flopping over his eyes and grabbed an empty buggy to place his items in before making his way to the chip and candy isle. he filled the basket with whatever he could reach and not even ten minutes later he was struggling to push the ridiculously full cart to the front of the grocery store, his eyes searching for the head of wild curls that belonged to his boyfriend. 

he eventually spotted the lanky boy behind an empty register, sitting on a stool and hunched over his phone, his eyes fixed uninterestedly on the screen. eddie felt a smile settle on his lips as he managed to push the buggy into the empty line of richie’s register. he started placing items onto the belt, waiting for the actual reason he’d even come to the store in the first place to look up and notice him. he didn’t have to wait long. 

“hey there pumpkin, come here often?” richie asked with a wink when eddie looked up at the sound of him standing and pushing the stool back. his voice was smooth and teasing and eddie couldn’t figure out if he wanted to blush or snort because of it, so he settled for both, his cheeks flushing as he scoffed out fond laughter. 

“not as often as you do, handsome.” eddie shot back, basking in the squeaky laugh that richie let out. 

“good one pumpkin.” richie smiled at him, the lenses of his glasses catching the store's soft flourescent lighting and making him look like he was glowing, fitting for the haphazard angel costume that he’d put together before he’d left for work a few hours ago. a crinkled and misshapen halo made of two wire hangers and some old tin foil rested against his dark hair and eddie just knew that he would be helping him untangle it later that night. a pair of fluorescent wings that he’d stolen from bev’s fairy princess turned zombie fairy princess the year before completed his look. 

“what’s with all the food eds? you got the munchies or something? you know you don’t have to buy out the whole store just to come and see your man work.” richie teased as eddie continued to unload his cart full of items onto the belt, richie scanning them, though maybe not as fast as he could have, just so that he could keep his boyfriend with him for as long as possible. 

eddie rolled his eyes, huffing as he lifted another 24 pack of soda up onto the belt. “i know that, you dork. i just made the mistake of being nice and asking if anyone needed anything before i left to come and see you. do you see what being a good person has gotten me, rich?” eddie pouted, as he put the last item - a bag of candy corn, something that richie loved more than any normal person should - onto the belt. richie paused his scanning and bagging to lean over the register, grabbing eddie’s face in his hands and pushing on his cheeks to make his pout more pronounced. 

“you’re the best person, pumpkin.” richie murmured against his lips as he pressed their mouths together in a soft kiss. 

eddie smiled, eyes lighting up as he pecked richie’s lips again before gently pushing him back. 

richie continued to scan the items, asking eddie, who has started bagging the scanned items to help richie out, how the set up of bill’s party was going (it was… going) and confirming that he only had two more hours left before his shift ended and that he’d be at bill’s house not long after the party was set to officially start. 

“that’ll be $96.82 beutiful, will you be paying with cash or card today, sir?” richie asked dramatically, accepting the card that belonged to bill, or more accurately bill’s parents, that eddie handed to him. he swiped the card and then handed it along with the receipt back to eddie after the payment went through and then moved to help the other boy start putting the now bagged items into the once again empty buggy. 

“hey shiela! i’ve got a customer that needs a hand with getting his groceries to his car!” richie called out to the middle aged woman behind the manager's desk who just rolled her eyes and waved her hand at him, painfully used to the two boys and their friends causing mayhem of all kinds in her store. richie grinned, reaching beneath his register to grab a crinkling plastic bag with the grocery store's logo emblazoned in red across it before stepping from out behind it and following eddie to and out of the automatic doors. 

the parking lot was empty apart from mike’s old pickup truck that eddie had borrowed for his grocery run, shiela’s van and richie’s shitty red car that no one was entirely sure the make or model of. it was unsurprising considering it was 8pm on halloween night. richie and eddie made their way to the truck and silently unloaded the buggy into the bed of it, next to the ice chests that eddie still had to go and get filled before making his way back to bill’s house. they finished quickly and eddie let richie walk him to the drivers side door and open it for him. 

“hey pumpkin,” richie murmured, the light from the parking lot’s lights hitting him like a spotlight, warm and tinged orange like fire. “i know you said this morning that you didn’t have enough time to put a costume together this year, so i got you something before my shift started. i thought maybe we could match, if you wanted?” he asked, nervous in a way he only ever was around eddie as he pulled a package out of the bag that he brought with him. 

eddie was unable to stop the large smile that immediately found its way onto his face, not that he’d ever want to, his cheeks bunching and the corners of his eyes turning up as he took in the shiny, glittering red devil horns headband and pointed velvet tail that were in the package. 

“It’s perfect!” eddie laughed. “thank you rich, i love it, love you.” he said as he pulled the taller boy down to kiss him again, their lips slotting together soft and warm, like coming home. 

eddie reluctantly pulled away after swiping his thumb over richie’s reddened lips. he opened the plastic package and took out the headband, handing it over to richie who gently placed it over his head, brushing his bangs out of the way and gently booping the tips of his nose with a finger. eddie smiled, stepping back to grab the handle on the inside of the roof before pulling himself into the cab of the truck. richie closed the door for him after making sure that it was completely in with his seatbelt secured. he put the keys in and turned them to start the truck up and then reached over to crank the window down to see richie standing there still. 

“oh! These are for you,” eddie started, lifting his butt off of the seat and reaching into his back pocket to grab the bag of candy corn that he’d put there while they were storing the bags away in the bed of the truck. richie grinned at him, grabbing the bag and leaning his head through the window to drop another slow kiss against eddie’s lips. he managed to tear himself away from his boyfriend so that he could get back to bill’s house before it started to get too dark, but eddie grabbed him again, hand finding richie’s curls and gripping tight, knocking his halo askew as he leaned forward to brush his lips over richie’s ear. 

“You can help me with the tail when you get off and get home, angel.” he whispered against the shell of richie’s ear, pulling away and smacking a kiss against his stunned boyfriends cheek. he cranked the window back and made sure that richie had stepped away in his daze before he slowly pulled out of his parking space and out of the lot. 

eddie looked up into the rearview mirror just in time to catch richie blowing him a kiss. he caught it, pressing his closed fist against his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 3 should be up soon as well! please let me know what y'all think!! 
> 
> you can find me on twitter here: [ @soulmatesbts ](https://twitter.com/soulmatesbts)


	3. sugar plum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 3!! please let me know what y'all think! 
> 
> both richie and eddie are 21 in this chapter!!

the sounds of cheesy christmas music filled ben and bev’s apartment, louder than carols had the right to be probably, accompanied by the smell of half burnt gingerbread. eddie was comfortable nestled in the corner of their plush couch, under his own duvet from his own bed that he’d refused to let go of, even as richie had pulled an obnoxious sweater over his head and matching socks onto his feet and then bundeled him into the same car that he’d had since high school. richie was behind him, having pulled him down into his lap and was slowly nursing his second eggnog of the morning, sharing every other sip with eddie. 

it was christmas morning and richie and eddie had been the firsts to arrive at ben and bev’s as they lived the closest but mike, stan and bill had shown up not long after, the seven of them sharing a large and filling breakfast courtesy of richie and ben who had then been shooed out of the kitchen by bev and mike who were the only ones allowed near a turkey after attempts by the others in previous years. eddie had just finished his own large glass of eggnog - that was more bourbon than anything - that someone (stan) had put into his hand at some point during breakfast and had paused in his rearranging of the presents under the ridiculously large plastic tree that he knew bev had saved up for specifically, to laugh as his boyfriend was threatened out of the kitchen by a wooden spoon. 

a few hours later and here he was, pleasantly buzzed, his back warm and pressed tightly to richie’s front, half watching the grinch as it played on the tv that was above the fire that bill had set in the hearth not long ago. ben and stan had stepped out about forty-five minutes before to go grab some things that had been forgotten for dinner that night, in true loser’s tradition, and had called to say that they’d be on their way back soon. 

eddie turned, shifting between richie’s legs so that he could push his face against richie’s ches, breathing in the smell of cinnamon and smoke from the fire, the brightness of richie’s cologne and their laundry detergent. the smell made him lightheaded and fuzzy in the best ways, his body like liquid with the warmth he felt. 

richie’s hand came up to cradle the back of his head, his fingers carding through eddie’s wavy hair while his other arm wrapped tight around his lower back, pulling him even closer. eddie let his eyes fall shut, breathing out a content sigh as he let himself finally sink into that space between waking and dreaming, distantly able to hear bev and mike puttering around in the kitchen and the rustling of pages from the book that bill was reading in the recliner across from the couch that he and richie had claimed. mostly though, he could hear the steady thump of richie’s heart under his cheek. he could feel the motion of it if he was still enough. he could feel his own heart matching up with each beat as he let everything else drift away. 

-

eddie woke slowly, his limbs tingling pleasantly and his entire body sleep warm. the couch under him was suspiciously lacking in richie’s shape and he sat up a little, blinking in the late morning light that shown through the large windows. he could hear richie laughing at something from the direction of the kitchen and he smiled to himself, unable and and not wanting to stop it, pausing in the process of trying to untangle himself from his blanket so that he could listen to his boyfriend laughing loudly and freely, his favorite sound. 

eventually though, his bladder made itself known and he continued to kick the blankets off of himself before making his way to the guest bathroom that ben had taken on the task of tastefully decorating in calming blue’s and gray’s with splashes of seafoam green here and there. 

he quickly finished his business, attempting for a second to smooth his ruffled appearance before rolling his eyes at himself and giving up, knowing for a fact that everyone in the apartment had seen him at much, much worse and he for them. he turned to the door, opening it and hitting the switch to turn the lights off, before stepping out and running straight into a firm chest that he knew very well. 

“hey there, sugar plum.” richie’s voice was as warm as his hands that had settled against eddie’s hips. eddie hummed, reaching his own arms up to wrap around his boyfriend's neck and shoulders. 

“hey rich,” he yawned out against his shoulder, letting richie’s low chuckle wash through him. 

“look at you, all soft and sleepy and pretty and mine.” richied whispered low in his ear, his lips brushing softly against his skin, sending buzzing shivers down eddie’s spine. 

eddie whined in faux embarrassment, pushing himself closer to richie, humming happily when the older man tightened his hold on him. 

they stood there, eddie’s back pressed semi-uncomfortably against the wall outside of the guest bathroom but he ignored it, pushing himself somehow even closer to richie and sinking into his boyfriend's perpetual warmth with contented sigh. what could have minutes or hours passed, eddie not knowing and not caring, with the two of them fitting together in a way that only richie and eddie could. 

the background noises of the apartment - the oven beeping and stan calling for mike, the unknown movie playing in the living room, the still playing carols filling the apartment from the bluetooth speaking that bev had hidden somewhere, the popping of the fire, the sounds of pots and pans and containers banging and clattering together, the sounds of the best friends - their family - - all seemed to be muffled, just brushing against the bubble that had enveloped the two of them. 

richie suddenly pulled back the slightest bit, no farther than he absolutely needed to, unwinding one arm from around eddie’s waist as he reached behind himself, fumbling to grab something out of the back pocket of his jeans. eddie watched, brows furrowed in curiosity as his lanky boyfriend pressed against him, wiggling and struggling to free his rings that had gotten caught on the loose threads inside his pocket.   
richie finally pulled his hand free, raising it high with a triumphant sound and eddie snorted as he caught sight of what he was holding. 

“what do you say, sugar plum? wanna kiss santa richie under the mistletoe?” richie wiggled both his eyebrows and the ragged looking plant, which while still recognizable, looked like it had seen much better days. 

eddie didn’t even try to fight the fond smile that quickly stole over his face at his ridiculous, perfect boyfriend and his ridiculous, perfect antics. 

“just kiss him already, you fuckin’ dorks.” stan muttered, unclear as to who he was speaking to, as he pushed past the two of them and into the still opened bathroom door. he flipped the light switch and gave them both a look that said he loved them, but they exhausted him, as he pointedly shut the door in their faces. 

both richie and eddie burst into laughter, used to their friends' various reactions to them being disgustingly in love with each other, because it was in no way at all a new development. 

“you heard the man, eds.” richie held up the bedraggled piece of mistletoe - that looked like it was seconds from falling apart and that eddie made a mental note to question him about at a late time - over their heads and leaned down to catch eddie’s lips in a soft kiss with his own, mouth something almost silently as he so. 

“merry christmas, my sugar plum.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for reading, please leave comments and kudos and concrit if you'd like, it honestly keeps me going and it really means a lot to me!! 
> 
> chapter 4 should be up soon!! 
> 
> you can find me on twitter here: [ @soulmatesbts ](https://twitter.com/soulmatesbts)


	4. babe/baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is a bit shorter i think, but i hope y'all enjoy in nonetheless! the next chapter is being edited and is also being expanded since it's actually the first part that i wrote for this story! it'll be up as soon as possible! 
> 
> richie is 22 in this chapter and eddie is 21, a few weeks away from his 22nd birthday! 
> 
> there's a brief allusion to depression but it doesn't go too deep into into it!

tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap 

the rooftop of richie and eddie’s apartment building was calm and quiet except for the nervous energy radiating from richie and the nervous tapping of his metal fork against his plastic plate that contained his half eaten dinner. across from him, eddie continued to eat normally like it was just any other regular saturday night rooftop date night - which to eddie it was. but not for richie. 

richie had spent all afternoon making eddie’s favorite meal and setting up their little rooftop spot, all the while checking his back right pocket every five minutes to make sure that the small, black velvet ring box that he’d placed there that morning after he’d made sure that eddie had left for his weekly breakfast date with bev and stan was still present. 

it was. 

and now richie could feel it digging into his asscheek from sitting against the old and dangerously rusted metal chair that made it’s home on their rooftop years before they’d ever even moved in. 

eddie finally looked up at the unusual silence, his brows furrowing worriedly at his boyfriend’s paler than usual face and nervous tapping. 

“hey rich?” eddie called out as he set his fork down on his half full plate. “richie.” he called out again when his boyfriend’s dark head of messy curls stayed slumped downward and his tapping continued. eddie’s brows furrowed even further, his stomach twisting in worry when he still didn’t receive an answer. he reached his own hand out, gently placing it over richie’s to try and catch his attention without startling him. 

richie’s head snapped up, his big green eyes made even wider by his coke bottle glasses, his hand dropping his fork and flipping over to grab eddie’s and intertwine their fingers by instinct. 

“hey eds, you okay?” richie asked, his nerves calming as he felt eddie squeeze his hand comfortingly. 

“i should be asking you that rich, you’e been weirdly quiet ever since we came up here. what’s going on? is today not a good day? i could have cooked and we could have stayed downstairs and watched a movie or something if you wanted.” eddie rambled on, his words coming faster and faster as he stood up and moved to richie’s side, his free hand coming up to comb through richie’s curls. 

richie laughed softly, squeezing eddie’s hand back and pushing his head against the one petting through his hair. “don’t worry eds, i’m okay, today is a good day, the best day actually, or i’m hoping so.” he said as he stoop up and spun them around, pushing his very confused boyfriend down into the seat that he’d just vacated. 

“richie? what’s going on?” eddie asked, staring up at richie, his voice soft and his eyes wide. 

richie knelt knelt down in front of him on one knee, his left hand still entwined with eddie’s and his right reaching back into his pocket. 

“richie?” eddie asked again, richie’s name coming out as a choked up gasp as he reached up, grabbing onto the already stretched out collar of richie’s shirt and pulling him forward until richie had to brace himself against eddie’s knees. 

“hey eddie?” richie whispered as he finally pulled the ring box free, letting his hand and the box rest against eddie’s trembling thigh. 

“yeah rich?” eddie’s eyes flashed from richie’s, down to the box and then back up again, his voice shaking as much as his body. 

richie smiled, all his nerves from earlier calming in the face of the feeling of this is right, this is what i’m supposed to be doing, he’s the love of my life that was coursing through his entire body. 

“you remember how after the first time we kissed, i said i was gonna marry you?” richie paused, his thumb swiping gently over the back of eddie’s hand, waiting until eddie shakily before continuing. “and then you rolled those big brown eyes and pulled me back in and whispered “bet.” against my lips before kissing me like you’d never kissed anyone else before, which, well, before that day you never had.” richie laughed as eddie nodded yes again, rolling his teary eyes in fondness. 

“how about we make good on that bet? what do you say babe?” richie managed to open the velvet box one-handed without fumbling or dropping it. both of their eyes were drawn downward as the light from the setting sun behind eddie’s shoulders reflected off of the row of diamonds placed across the center of the gold band that they were set in. 

richie reluctantly pulled his hand away from eddie’s to pluck the ring out of the box and hold it before eddie who was already nodding his head, his wavy brown hair flopping down into his teary eyes, his voice rough as he whispered a resounding yes, more than loud enough for richie to hear. he held his hand out for richie, feeling the way he shook as he pushed the ring down over eddie’s finger before bringing his hand up to his mouth, kissing over the ring and then turning his hand over to kiss the center of eddie’s palm, a soft sigh filled with happiness tickling over the sensitive skin. 

“love you eds, i love you baby.” richie whispered, his heart in his voice and in his hands as he caught eddie as he threw himself off of the rickety metal chair and into richie’s lap, the force causing them to fly backwards and land against the sun warmed rooftop, their laughs filling the evening air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please let me know all of your thought and feeling, comments and kudos truly keep me going!! 
> 
> you can find me on twitter here: [ @soulmatesbts ](https://twitter.com/soulmatesbts)

**Author's Note:**

> the end of the first chapter!! chapter 2 should be posted tomorrow or maybe tonight! please let me know what y'all thought about it! all comments, kudos and concrit are welcome (as long as you're nice!!) i hope that y'all enjoyed and thank you all for reading!! 
> 
> you can find me on twitter here: [ @soulmatesbts ](https://twitter.com/soulmatesbts)  
> , where i have comms info in my pinned if you're interested!! i'm also a pretty interesting person (that's a lie lmao) and i follow back 98% of the time!!!


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